HiSilicon Kirin 960 vs HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G

The HiSilicon Kirin 960 and Kirin 985 5G are two processors designed by HiSilicon. Let's compare their specifications to understand their differences.

Starting with the HiSilicon Kirin 960, it features an architecture that includes 4x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 cores and 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 cores. With a total of 8 cores, it provides a balanced performance. The instruction set is ARMv8-A, allowing for efficient execution of commands. With a lithography of 16 nm, it is less power efficient compared to newer processors. However, it has 4000 million transistors, indicating a decent level of complexity. Its TDP (Thermal Design Power) is 5 Watts, which means it consumes relatively low power.

Moving on to the HiSilicon Kirin 985 5G, it offers an upgraded architecture. It consists of 1x 2.58 GHz Cortex-A76 core, 3x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 cores, and 4x 1.84 GHz Cortex-A55 cores. This configuration provides a blend of high performance and power efficiency. The instruction set is ARMv8.2-A, enabling additional features compared to the Kirin 960. With a lithography of 7 nm, it offers improved power efficiency and potentially better performance. The TDP of the Kirin 985 5G is slightly higher at 6 Watts, suggesting it may consume a bit more power.

In terms of neural processing, the Kirin 960 does not provide specific information about a neural processing unit. However, the Kirin 985 5G boasts Ascend D110 Lite and Ascend D100 Tiny neural processing, utilizing HUAWEI Da Vinci Architecture. This suggests that the Kirin 985 5G has enhanced capabilities for machine learning and AI-related tasks.

In summary, the Kirin 985 5G is an upgraded version of the Kirin 960. It offers a more advanced architecture, lower lithography, improved power efficiency, and specialized neural processing capabilities. These advancements make the Kirin 985 5G a potentially more powerful and versatile processor compared to the Kirin 960.